Reply #31: There are all kinds of extraterritorial aspects to this monstrosity, too.

[Judi Lynn]

It even extends to the extent _{George W. Bush's} administration had the Mexico City Sheraton throw out a party of 16 Cubans who were there for an energy summit. If you haven't heard this one, it will surprise you:

Bad Neighbor Policy No. 2
U.S. Treasury Evicts Cubans from Sheraton Hotel in Mexico City
International Relations Center | April 18, 2006
Americas Program, Center for International Policy (CIP) americas.irc-online.org

The U.S. Treasury Department ordered the Sheraton Hotel chain to expel 16 Cuban nationals staying at the Sheraton María Isabel in Mexico City on February 4th. The Cubans were participating in the U.S.-Cuba Energy Summit, a conference organized by the U.S.-Cuba Trade Association.

The Treasury Department did not issue a public statement explaining the unusual action, but it falls under enforcement of the Helms-Burton Act of 1996. The act prohibits U.S. companies from doing business with Cuban-owned interests in any part of the world and has reaped criticism from other countries as a violation of national sovereignty.

The Treasury Department knew about the event and its Cuban participants well before the eviction since the U.S.-Cuba Trade Association routinely advises the Treasury Department of its meetings. However, neither planners nor the Cuban participants were warned of the possible eviction until they were told to leave the hotel. Their room deposits were turned over to the Treasury Department.

The Sheraton Hotel management stated that it was merely following orders from the U.S. Treasury. The measure placed the company in a no-win situation, forcing it to violate at least one law—the U.S. prohibition on trade with Cuba abroad or Mexico's anti-discrimination laws.

The eviction caused a major uproar in the Mexican press. Both local and federal authorities began investigations of the action and of the Sheraton María Isabel, located near the U.S. Embassy in central Mexico City. Although the orders were received from Sheraton U.S. headquarters, the Mexico City Sheraton is a business constituted in Mexico and subject to its laws. Mexico has refused to recognize the jurisdiction of the Helms-Burton Act in its territory. The Mexican government briefly closed the hotel for various infractions but later allowed it to reopen after levying a stiff fine for violation of the anti-discrimination law.

The U.S. Secretary of State issued a statement saying the action was not meant to “irritate our friends in Mexico,” but the eviction was considered a direct provocation to a nation with close historical ties to Cuba. It not surprisingly stirred up public indignation and calls for retaliation measures.

The U.S. Helms-Burton Act has been challenged by many countries for illegally seeking to impose the extraterritorial enforcement of U.S. law. It has rarely been enforced as aggressively as in the Mexico Sheraton case.

More:
http://americas.irc-online.org/am/3220